BY THE NUMBERS: Blizzard of ’78 remembered

The Blizzard of ’78 left most of New England blanketed in not inches but feet of snow as it swept through the region in early February 1978. Here’s what the storm left in its wake — by the numbers.

Feb. 5-7 — Although the storm started to form around Feb. 5, it did not actually start snowing in Massachusetts until the early morning of Feb. 6. The storm lasted until Feb. 7.

27.1 inches — Number of inches to fall in Boston during Feb. 6-7. About 40 inches fell in parts Rhode Island.

$520 million — The total cost of damages caused by the storm.

99 — Number of deaths caused by the storm.

4,324 — Number of injuries when all was said and done.

350 — Number of National Guard troops called in to help with the digging-out efforts in Massachusetts, as well as securing businesses from looting.

6 — Number of days it took to dig out and remove vehicles buried in snow from state highways. On just an eight-mile stretch of Route 128, troops and state personnel reportedly removed 3,000 cars and 500 trucks.

10,000 — Number of people moved into emergency shelters following the storm. There were also approximately 2,500 houses reported as seriously damaged from the storm’s high winds and flooding.

11,666 — Number of college hockey fans in the Boston Garden for the annual Beanpot competition when the storm struck. Many spent the next several days eating hot dogs and sleeping in bleachers and locker rooms.

2 — Number of major historic landmarks lost in the storm: After more than 50 years as a literary icon, naturalist Henry Beston’s “Fo’Castle” from the 1928 novel “Outermost House” was carried away by waves. And in Rockport, the red fishing shack called Motif #1, which had become famous worldwide as a subject of painters, was wrecked by high winds and blown into the seas.

106 — Number of consecutive years the Boston Globe had published a daily newspaper in Boston through all sorts of weather. The newspaper did not publish during the blizzard.

Unknown — Number of cardigans and sweaters worn by then-Gov. Michael Dukakis during televised updates of the blizzard. Dukakis said for years afterwards, he received a number of sweaters as gifts — some of which he still owns.

Larry — While most of New England still refers to that famous February storm as The Blizzard of ’78, residents of Connecticut will always know it as Storm Larry, its real designation.

— National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Wikipedia and blizzardof78.org.